A Lady in Need : Reader-centric
by Renee Toxxic
Summary: With all the mysterious happenings around the small town of Chilcott, nobody knows what to do. The police are getting nowhere fast with their investigation, and things will only get worse if somebody doesn't solve this case! Luckily, when Professor Layton gets a letter from an old friend, he can't say no. After all, it's the job of a true gentleman to always help a lady in need.
1. Preface

"A Lady in Need" - Preface

Dear Reader,

"A Lady in Need" is a Professor Layton fanfiction that is told from two paths, both of which are centric to the reader. This fanfiction can be classified as a LukexReader or a LaytonxReader fanfiction depending on the path that you read, however the romance aspect will not take place for quite a while in the story.

I will mark each chapter with either Path A or Path B. Each path will be following the reader, however to keep a fairly fluid story, an original character will take the place of the character that is not followed in each path.

The two characters that will be followed are Helena Alden and her daughter, Delilah Alden. In Path A, the reader will take the role of Helena, and [name] will be put wherever Helena is referred to by name. Path B follows Delilah, so Helena will be Helena, and whenever Delilah is referred to by name, [name] will be substituted in Part B.

As prior mentioned, romance will not take place for quite some time, however the path you choose will determine who you ultimately have as your love interest. Each path will follow the same plot, but each character will witness their own events within the plot, as well as some overlap.

In terms of the timeline of the series, this story takes place less than a year or so after the events of _Professor Layton and the Unwound Future_, during the summer in a fictional town called Chilcott.

I hope that this brief explanation was useful, and that you enjoy the story.

-Renee T.


	2. Chapter 1 Path A

"A Lady in Need" - Chapter 1 [Path A]

_Note: Please refer to the Preface if you are confused about what "Path A" means._

It had been six days since you sent the letter, and had still received no reply. You had made certain that he would receive the letter in two days or less, so why had you received no response yet? You were growing more worried than you already were, sighing softly as you sat at the kitchen table, your hands cupped around a warm cup of tea.

_Maybe he isn't coming after all._ you began to think. _I heard he only takes on exceptionally peculiar mysteries, though I thought this would be enough to warrant his interest._ With each passing day, you'd been feeling more unsure than the last. The small town you loved so dearly had been turned on its side with the recent events, and not even the police knew how to go about tackling this case. You were certain that they were getting nowhere fast, after two weeks of investigation and little to show for it.

_He's the only one who can help; he has to come._ you thought, trying to assure yourself more than anything. Although the recent events were strange to say the least, the case wasn't violent enough to attract the interest of neighboring police forces. In fact, the town of Chilcott was so little that it was often forgotten, even by citizens living just a couple of towns over. It wasn't surprising that residents jokingly referred to Chilcott as the "Invisible Town".

You then shook your head, trying not to think about the problem at hand. Worrying about it day and night wasn't helping any, and it only made you feel worse. Looking at the clock, you realized that it was already half past ten.

"Where has my morning gone?" you murmured to yourself as you took your half-empty teacup to the sink to rinse it. Usually the summer days went by quite slowly, but due to the happenings of late, the past few weeks had been a blur to you. As you set the clean teacup upside-down on a towel to dry, you realized that the house was very quiet. Almost too quiet, considering it was near afternoon on a summer day. It was then that you realized why; you hadn't seen your daughter all morning. Usually she was an early riser, but with all that had been happening, she was just as thrown off as you, and she was sleeping in fairly late in the past weeks.

_I ought to go make sure that she's awake. I know she's just as worried as I am, but I can't have her sleeping the entire day away._ You climb the stairs, and every few steps a strained squeaking fills the air. You'd been meaning to have someone fix your floorboards, but it had been put onto the back burner with the recent occurrences. With all that was happening, it seemed of little importance.

"Delilah, are you awake?" you called out softly as you tapped on her bedroom door. "It's ten-thirty, you know." You wait for a few moments in silence before the door in front of you opens. Your daughter looks to you, and it's clear that she'd been awake. She was in her day clothes, and her hair was neatly brushed. "Sorry, I've been reading up here all morning." Delilah explained to you, knowing that you typically see her out and about by this hour.

"It's alright, I was just wondering what you were up to. Usually you would have already gone out on some adventurous exploration." you said with a slight laugh. Delilah had always been quite the tomboy, and she spent much of her time outside, exploring the town and the forests on the outskirts of it. However, your daughter had been spending a lot more time at home lately, and understandably so. With what had been happening, everyone in Chilcott was feeling uneasy. You then put a hand on Delilah's shoulder, smiling gently down at her.

"I made breakfast earlier. By now it's likely cold, but you can heat it up." you informed her.

"Alright mom, thanks." she responded with a slight smile. She then put the book she had been reading onto her desk. Curious, you looked to the book. It was a thick piece about mental illnesses. You raised an eyebrow, wondering what would drive your daughter to read such a book. Delilah did enjoy a good story, but her preference was adventure novels. It was rare for her to read something informative by choice. However, it wasn't something worth asking about. At least, you didn't think it was. Without another thought on the matter, you headed back downstairs with Delilah.

"After breakfast I'm going to go to the library, okay mom?" You looked to Delilah, who was putting a teapot on the stove. She wasn't particularly asking you for permission, but rather she just wanted to keep you aware of where she was going.

"That's fine, dear. You certainly have been visiting the library a lot lately, though." You noted as you watched Delilah prepare her late breakfast.

"I guess so. Is that a bad thing?" she asked, a tinge of defense in her tone. You were a bit taken aback by this sudden shift, but you brushed it off, shaking your head.

"No, not at all. I was just pointing it out, was all." You say. Usually you would make your daughter apologize for taking on such a tone of voice with you, but you were a lot more lenient with her as of late. Everyone was stressed and worried, and you didn't want to start senseless arguments.

"Sorry, mom." Delilah said to you after a moment with an apologetic voice. It was clear that she hadn't meant to be rude to you, and you gave a nod of your head in response.

"It's okay, sweetie." you responded quietly before looking to the daily newspaper. You flipped to where you'd left off earlier that morning. It was rare for you to finish reading the paper, as most days you had to work, but on your days off you liked to keep up with the current events. In addition, with what had happened in the past few weeks, you always at least skimmed the headlines. Nothing of interest caught your eyes today though, or at least nothing pertaining to what you wanted to hear about. You set down the paper just as Delilah sat down across from you at the kitchen table.

"He hasn't written back to you, has he?" Delilah asked abruptly. You looked to her in surprise, not responding right away. You'd told her that you had written to him. In fact, she was the one who'd suggested it, unaware of the significance that his name held to you. However, you'd thought that she'd forgotten about it.

"No, he hasn't. I fear that he won't, actually." you began to say, but then you stopped yourself. "Though it will all turn out fine. The police are competent, and I'm sure they'll get this sorted out." you added quickly. Your daughter wasn't young enough to be oblivious to the gravity of the situation, but you also didn't want her to expect the worst just because she was capable of seeing it in that light. Delilah didn't respond at first. She looked worried, and for a minute she simply stared down at her plate, thinking. It wasn't until after a long pause that she opened her mouth to speak, but just as she began to, there was a knock at the door.

* * *

_Well, that's it for Chapter 1 of Path A. How was it? I'm by no means a writer, so all feedback is welcomed. Sorry that the professor didn't appear yet, but he'll arrive on the scene soon enough, I promise._

_I'm not sure how often this piece will get updated, but I'll try my best._

_Thanks for reading!_

_-Renee T._


	3. Chapter 1 Path B

"A Lady in Need" - Chapter 1 [Path B]

_Note: Please refer to the Preface if you are confused about what "Path B" means._

It was just past ten in the morning. You'd only been awake for about an hour, though you hadn't even left your room yet. You'd bothered to get dressed in your day clothes, but even that took a great deal of motivation. Very rarely did you ever stay in your room so long when awake, but recent events had changed your agenda. You stared down at the open book before you, the one that you'd been engrossed with since you got it at the library the day before. The book was fairly long, but you were already over a hundred pages in. However, you were yet to read anything that you deemed of particular importance. It was a dry read for you, as typically the genre that appealed to you was fictitious adventure stories.

_This book isn't helping at all. I need to go to the library again today._ you noted to yourself as you let out a tired yawn. You hadn't been sleeping well at all since the strange events started happening, and ended up tired almost every day because of it. It wasn't just you, though. The majority of Chilcott was acting out of the ordinary. Many were worried and nervous, while some were fearful. Very few of the residents of the small town went unchanged after the recent events. It was even more unsettling when not even the police were making headway on their investigation of the happenings.

_If they can't solve the matter, then what are we going to do?_ you thought, feeling very uneasy. You didn't want to think about what the result of that would be. Instead, you looked to the large stack of books on your desk.

_Most of these books are useless. I thought I could try and find something, but so far I've got nothing._ You let out an exasperated sigh and hold your head in your hands, not knowing what to do. Although determined to try and learn more about the case and what had been going on, you weren't sure where to even begin, and your labors were proving to be fruitless. Feeling defeated, you then remembered something from several days ago.

_That's right! Mom sent a letter to that guy I saw in the newspaper, didn't she? I wonder if he ever responded. Mom didn't say anything about it, but maybe she just didn't bother to tell me._ With this thought, you felt hopeful. You decided that when you spoke to your mother today, you would ask her about it.

Just as you were about to head downstairs and ask, there was a knock on your door. Although you didn't need to be told who it was, you heard your mother's voice a moment later.

"[Name], are you awake?" the voice called out. Yes, it was definitely your mother. She was the only one who lived with you at that moment, so it would have been alarming had it been anyone else.

"It's ten-thirty, you know." she added from the other side of the door. You glanced at your clock out of reflex, and she was correct to the minute. You didn't answer right away, as it'd be rude to just talk through the door. Instead, you got up and strode over to the door, opening it before answering.

"Sorry, I've been reading up here all morning." you explained as you looked to your mother. She was a woman in her early forties, but she certainly didn't look it. She had very few wrinkles at the time, and kept herself in shape so that she appeared to be no older than thirty-five. Your mother put a lot of emphasis on her own appearance, but she never tried to force you to do the same, much to your gratitude.

"It's alright, I was just wondering what you were up to. Usually you would have already gone out on some adventurous exploration." she said, and gave a short laugh. This was true, as on most days you couldn't stand to be in the house for too long. You loved to be outside and enjoy the fresh air, as well as explore the town and the forests surrounding it. Staying inside and reading was something new for you. You would rather be outside like usual, but you just couldn't go on as normal. Ever since the odd occurrences, you had to take action, and that meant boring research for you. You felt uneasy at the thought, and your mother noticed this. She placed a hand on your shoulder in a gesture of reassurance.

"I made breakfast earlier. By now it's likely cold, but you can heat it up." she informed you. This made you smile, even if just a little bit. Even though you had likely been asleep when she was making breakfast, your mother was always thinking of you. Save for an occasional argument, you two had always gotten along particularly well.

"Alright mom, thanks." you said in return, about to follow her downstairs. However, you then realized you were still holding the book you'd been reading. You closed it and set in on your desk. You'd forgotten to mark the page you were on, but surely you'd find it later. At this point you were even contemplating leaving the book unfinished, as it was neither interesting nor helpful to you. Your mother then headed downstairs with you, and you saw a plate of food sitting on the countertop. You then proceeded to put the plate in the microwave oven before putting a teapot on the stove. You glanced over to your mother, who was picking up the newspaper. You figured that now would be a good time to briefly let her know that you were heading out after you ate.

"After breakfast I'm going to go to the library, okay mom?" you asked, though you knew your mom would say yes. You told her only so that she'd know where you were. Although she could be strict at times, your mother was very lenient in letting you go out and about, as she trusted that you knew how to be safe.

"That's fine, dear. You certainly have been visiting the library a lot lately, though." Although her observation meant nothing, it put you a bit on edge to hear her note it.

_Well somebody's got to make an effort to figure out what's going on here._ you thought bitterly. You weren't bitter towards your mother, but rather you were upset that the police investigation nor yours was progressing.

"I guess so. Is that a bad thing?" you retorted without thinking.

_Oops, I didn't mean to say that. Surely I'll get an earful now._ you thought dreadfully.

"No, not at all. I was just pointing it out, was all." your mother responded calmly. You were a bit surprised, as usually she would stress the importance of talking to elders with respect. You supposed that the recent events were taxing on everyone, so your mother was letting it slide for today.

"Sorry, mom." you said after a moment. You felt guilty for snapping at her like that, even if she didn't scold you for it.

"It's okay, sweetie." she responded, and continued flipping through the newspaper. You then took your cooked meal out of the microwave oven and let it cool for a moment while making your tea. It was then that you remembered the reason you were going to come downstairs in the first place. However, you were starting to once again think that it was useless to ask, as your mother would surely be in higher spirits if he had responded. You asked anyways, just to be sure.

"He hasn't written back to you, has he?" you ask, and although you didn't intend to, you already had shown your expectation of the negative outcome. She didn't answer at first, and she seemed a bit apprehensive to do so.

"No, he hasn't. I fear that he won't, actually." she confessed, looking rather disappointed. This didn't last long though, as she quickly added, "Though it will all turn out fine. The police are competent, and I'm sure they'll get this sorted out." It was obvious that she wanted you to be assured, and not to worry. You looked down at your plate, unsure of how to respond. You wanted to be optimistic, but after several weeks, thinks were looking grim. You were about to answer her, but you were interrupted by a knock at the door.

* * *

_Wow, I wasn't expecting to upload the next part tonight. XD I got very bored, so I whipped this up. _

_This time we hear from the daughter. Still no Layton to be seen, but he'll be here in the next chapter._

_Please leave feedback and reviews! I'm no writer, so any constructive criticism is fabulous._

_-Renee T._


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